When does daylight saving time finally end? It's complicated

Clocks will soon be going back, raising questions about when – or if – Daylight Saving Time will finally end in the future.

Daylight saving time ends on Sunday, November 3, 2024, and as millions of people turn their clocks back an hour, they may be wondering if there will ever be a time when clocks don't jump forward or back.

In recent years, laws have been passed at the state and federal levels to eliminate time changes and implement either standard time or daylight saving time year-round. But where will the laws stand in 2024? It's not that easy.

In 2022, the legislature was close to ending the time change with the Sunshine Protection Act. The bill would have made Daylight Saving Time the new, permanent standard across the United States and passed the Senate with unanimous consent. So what happened?

As with all bills, legislation approved by the Senate was sent to the House of Representatives for approval. If passed in the House, it would have been sent to the president's desk where it could be signed into law.

But instead of being passed by the House of Representatives, the bill sat until the conclusion of the 117th Congress, spelling the end of the bill and dashing the hopes of those who wanted to stop changing the clocks twice a year.

The bill then received new life when a new session of Congress began.

On March 1, 2023, the Sunshine Protection Act was reintroduced, this time in the House of Representatives at the start of the 118th Congress. However, it still needs to be put to a vote.

Since the current Congress ends on January 3, 2025, it is unlikely to be passed and signed into law quickly.

“State lawmakers have considered more than 700 bills and resolutions in recent years to implement year-round daylight saving time as soon as federal law allows,” the National Conference of State Legislatures said on its website. “At least 30 states have considered or are considering legislation or resolutions related to Daylight Saving Time in 2024.”

This means that states can enact their own time change laws once the federal government passes legislation on the subject.

Daylight saving time began in the United States in the early 20th century, but it was the Uniform Time Act of 1966 that established the standard that applies across the country today. When it was passed, states were given the option to opt out and remain in standard time year-round, but according to LifeHacker, the majority of the country agreed to the new law.

Hawaii and Arizona are the only remaining states that observe standard time year-round, although the Navajo Nation in Arizona recognizes the semi-annual time change.

While many people prefer to stick to a specific time throughout the year, there is some debate about whether to stick to “standard time” or “time of day.”

According to a poll conducted by CBS News in 2022, 46% of Americans support observing daylight saving time year-round, while 33% prefer to stay in standard time. 21% of respondents now prefer the current time change.

Observing standard time would mean earlier sunrises throughout the year, which has advantages and disadvantages. The move would favor early risers, but in June and early July sunrise would occur before 4:30 a.m. in a place like New York City

Conversely, staying in daylight savings time each month would result in later summer sunsets, which could help businesses like golf courses stay open longer. However, during the winter months, sunrise in New York City would not occur until after 8 a.m

One thing is certain: on November 3rd, the clocks will reset again as the country returns to standard time.

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